2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Dies After Vicious Pit Bull Attack in Shaker Heights, Ohio

Pit Bull Owner Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison

pit bull kills woman in shaker heights
Annie Williams, 71, was mauled to death by a pit bull in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Owner Gets Prison
UPDATE 04/20/16: In February, felony manslaughter charges were brought against two dog owners in Cuyahoga County. Earlier this month, Leon Morton, 49, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after a pit bull under his care brutally attacked and killed 71-year old Annie Williams in front of her great grandchildren in Shaker Heights last July. Today, Cuyahoga Common Pleas Judge Stuart Friedman sentenced Morton to 30-months in the Lorain Correctional Facility.

Prosecutors had initially sought the same charge against Bobbie Green, 71, but in a recent plea agreement lowered this to negligent homicide, a misdemeanor. Green pleaded guilty to the charge several weeks ago. Judge Friedman sentenced Green to 6-months in prison, suspended with 2-years probation. Part of Green's probation includes not owning or caring for any dog, "I don’t care if it's a puppy," Friedman said. Green sat stone-faced while Friedman read her sentence.

A Small Victory for Ohio

Morton's conviction marks the first felony conviction for a fatal dog attack in Ohio since we began collecting a data set for all fatal dog maulings in January 2005 (a felony case in Montgomery County is ongoing). It is likely the only dog attack-related felony conviction in Cuyahoga County since 1993, when Jeffery Mann was convicted of murder after he ordered his pit bull to attack his girlfriend, Angela Kaplan, or held her as the dog attacked. Mann was sentenced to 15-years to life.

02/24/16: Criminal Charges Filed
Seven months after a pit bull attacked and killed 71-year old Annie Williams in a Shaker Heights residential neighborhood, two people now face charges in connection to her death. Bobbie Green, 70, and Leon Morton, 49, have been indicted on involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide charges. On July 12, 2015, Williams stopped by their home on Pennington Road to pick up her two great granddaughters. Before she made it to the front door, she was viciously attacked.

Annie's great grandchildren had been with their father at Green and Morton's home. The pit bull belonging to the pair attacked Annie as soon as she stepped out of her vehicle that she parked in their driveway. Several children witnessed the horrific attack, including a 13-year old who was inside Annie's car. Nearby neighbors rushed to help Williams; one even shot the dog injuring it, but it was too late. Annie died from bite wounds and crushing injuries to her neck, throat and body.

07/23/15: Family Seeks Change
After a beloved grandmother was horribly mauled to death by a pit bull, her family is setting up a foundation called, Any Salvation. Annie Williams, 71, was picking up her two great granddaughters from a home in Shaker Heights, where they were with their father, when a pit bull belonging to someone in the home brutally attacked her in the driveway. A 13-year old, who was in Williams' car at the time, and her two great grandchildren, ages 7 and 8, witnessed the horrendous attack.

Family members are now looking for someone in real need to give Williams' furniture, clothing, some household items and appliances to. "Since she was such a caring and giving woman, what better thing to do than to give it to someone who needs it," said her granddaughter, Tequila Williams. Another one of her granddaughters, Secunda Starr, added, "I want somebody that will benefit from it greatly and really take care of it and need it. I want someone to actually need it."

Family members also hope to make legislative changes in pit bull ownership. "We're all going to be very proactive in making sure that what happened to our grandmother does not continue to happen to other people," Tequila said. "What does it take for legislation, for representatives, for the law to see that this is an animal that no matter how kind you are to it, it cannot be controlled?" Annie is the 5th person killed by a pit bull in Ohio since the state dropped its pit bull law in 2012.

Follow, Scorched Earth, the Politics of Pit Bulls, to stay informed about pit bull issues in Ohio.

Any Salvation Foundation, pit bull mauling death Annie Williams
07/14/15: Cause of Death Released
A county medical examiner said that 71-year old Annie Williams who was attacked by a pit bull died from bite wounds and crushing injuries to her neck, throat and body. On Sunday, Williams stopped by a relative's home in Shaker Heights where the pit bull lived. The dog viciously attacked her in the homeowner's driveway as soon as she exited her vehicle. A 13-year old inside Williams' car witnessed the violent attack, along with at least two other children at the relative's home.

Additional Developments

The most recent Fox 8 update includes clarifications about family members. Williams was at the home to pick up her two great grandchildren. Tequila Williams is one of several granddaughters. Another granddaughter, Secunda Starr, was at the home and witnessed the attack. Starr said the pit bull was on the home's front stoop just before the attack. "The dog immediately skipped a step and jumped off and attacked my grandma," Starr said. She tried to pull the dog off Williams.

The female relatives that Fox 8 interviewed said the same pit bull had recently attacked another dog in the home. Tequila wants those responsible to accept responsibility. "I want justice, the people responsible to accept responsibility," she said. Tequila is horrified in the manner of her death. "I’m just so sorry this happened to her. She was a beautiful woman and didn’t deserve to die this way," she said. She prays that while being attacked she did not suffer too long.

Yesterday's update from WKYC shows the doghouse in the backyard of the home and a gaping hole in the chain-link fence. Dog ownership details, however, still remain murky. 19 Action News identified Jerome Green as the owner of the home on Pennington Road. Green might eventually be on the hook for civil damages if the dog's owner remains unidentified. Police are investigating other animal complaints in the neighborhood to see if any are related to Sunday's lethal attack.

07/13/15: Woman Dies After Dog Attack
Shaker Heights, OH - An elderly woman has died after a vicious dog attack. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office identified the woman as 71-year old Annie Williams. The attack occurred Sunday in the 3600 hundred block of Pennington Road. The 911 caller identified the attacking dog as a "beige pit bull." The dog was fired upon by someone at the scene. Williams was taken to South Point Hospital where she later died. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

"The dog just ran off. I don't know if they found the dog. It was a beige pit bull ... he's got blood all around its mouth." - 911 caller #1

Cleveland.com clarifies that it was a neighbor who initially shot the pit bull. Shaker Heights police later located the dog in a backyard and shot and killed it. Darlene White, 45, witnessed the attack from her home two doors down. From her window she saw Williams on the ground. Several neighbors rushed to help. Another neighbor shot the dog as it continued attacking Williams. White said she heard police fire three gunshots. She said the entire attack lasted about 10-minutes.

"She was just basically laying there, lifeless ... All I know is there was blood everywhere. He did a nasty job." - Witness Darlene White

White said she has only seen the pit bull a few times, it's usually chained up behind her neighbor's house, she said. At least two people called 911. Cleveland.com has the recording of the second caller. "There is a dog on a person across the street," the caller told dispatch. "He's on top of a lady. Somebody is trying to get him off, they can't get him off!" she said. "It's a pit ... Somebody just shot him ... I heard a gunshot and ran back inside. I'm not going back out there!" said the caller.

ABC 5 reports that police confirmed the dog was a pit bull. 19 Action News reports that the victim was at the home picking up her two great granddaughters from their father when the dog attacked. A 13-year old relative was also inside Williams' car during the horrific mauling and the ensuing gunfire. Family members said the dog's owner lives in the home where Williams was picking up the two children. The pit bull was not licensed in Cuyahoga County, 19 Action News reports.

Tequila Williams, one of her granddaughters, said, "I didn't get to see her before this happened. She was always there for everybody. A stranger in the street, it didn't matter who it was. She was the sweetest person and her grandkids loved her," Tequila said. Shaker Heights police continue their investigation and are awaiting autopsy results from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office. William's violent mauling death marks the third U.S. fatal pit bull attack in a 10-day period.

Late Afternoon Updates

In an afternoon update by ABC 5, Tequila Williams said her two daughters, 7 and 8-years old, witnessed the violent attack from the window of their father's home. Williams was at the home to pick them both up. "My 8-year-old daughter answered the phone screaming and crying saying, 'Grandma, the dog just killed grandma, it bit her in the neck and they're trying to stop the blood,'" Tequila said. She also told ABC 5 that she was unaware the pit bull was even at the house.

"I asked [my daughter] where did this dog come from and she said that they kept it, it was in the backyard and they never let it out and only their father and grandmother were the ones allowed by the dog," Tequila said. A recent AP report states that Shaker Heights police Cmdr. John Cole said that that no one has been arrested and no one living in the home has claimed ownership of the dog. Cole stated that the attack occurred on the driveway of the property of Williams' relatives.

map iconView the DogsBite.org Google Map: Ohio Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

pit bull kills woman in shaker heights
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2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Recently Adopted Out Pit Bull Kills 6-Year Old Boy in Henderson County, North Carolina

fatal pit bull attack, north carolina
Joshua Phillip Strother, 6-years old, mauled to death by a recently adopted pit bull.

County Lifts Moratorium
UPDATE 08/06/15: Buncombe County officials completed its review of the screening and transferring procedures by the Asheville Humane Society (AHS). The group contracts to operate the county's open admission shelter. On July 7, a 6-year old boy was savagely killed by a pit bull that was adopted out by AHS 3-weeks earlier. The dog came in as a stray. It was then screened for aggression, which it passed, then transferred to the Asheville Humane Adoption Center.

On July 16, county officials placed a moratorium on all pit bull transfers to an adoption agency while it reviewed procedures by AHS. Today the county lifted this moratorium, citing that AHS was doing the "industry standard, best practice model for an open admission shelter," said Jim Holland, who oversees the animal related contracts for the county. And THAT our dear readers is exactly the problem. Currently, there is no way to reliably test for unpredictable pit bull aggression.

The "state-of-the-art" temperament assessment test, SAFER, cannot measure unpredictable aggression nor can any current test. This is the risk every person accepts, knowingly or not, when adopting a pit bull.

The rest of the article by the Citizen-Times reads like a "circle the wagons" strategy to cover both parties against liability claims. Both parties also manage to passively blame the community, the dog's owners and the victim himself, 6-year old Joshua Strother, as the cause of this lethal attack. The newly rehomed pit bull executed the killing bite, attacking the boy's face and throat, right out of the blue. The pit bull was still so aggressive afterward that deputies had to shoot it to death.

Given the limitations of even the most "state-of-the-art" temperament assessment tests, only one conclusion can be drawn: More innocent children will be brutally attacked and even killed by shelter dogs who passed these tests. In the wake of this boy's tragic death, Buncombe County officials had a chance to reevaluate their pit bull adoption policy, hopefully by restricting it, but they did not. It's all systems go again with their fingers crossed. How is that for scientifically sound?

The Reliability of Temperament Tests

Lastly, what also needs to be addressed in the Citizen-Times article is the "pot calling the kettle black" statement by Tracy Elliott, the executive director of AHS starting in May. Elliott states that animals are not people and "attempts to compare them to people or anthropomorphize them are a mistake." On June 20, Asheville Humane launched an anthropomorphic adoption campaign for a pit bull named Pearl, bling included. "Classy girls wear pearls!" AHS gushes this very behavior.

"Animals are animals. They are not people and attempts to compare them to people or anthropomorphize them are a mistake. Any animal is capable of behavior we can’t predict." - Tracy Elliott, Executive Director, Asheville Humane Society


anthropomorphic pit bull adoption campaign by the asheville humane society
Anthropomorphic pit bull adoption campaign screenshot 1  |  screenshot 2  |  screenshot 3


July 30 Deadline Arrives

UPDATE 07/30/15: The deadline Buncombe County set for the Asheville Humane Society to deliver information requested in their July 16 letter has arrived. Today is July 30, two weeks after the letter was sent. On July 7, Joshua Strother, 6-years old, was brutally attacked and killed by a pit bull adopted out by Asheville Humane. Just after his death, Asheville Humane scrubbed their "Project Pit Bull" campaign from their website and refused "repeated calls" from the media.

The male neutered pit bull, about a year old, was adopted to Joshua's neighbor 3-weeks earlier. The dog came into the shelter as a stray.

The Asheville Humane Society (AHS) is under contract with Buncombe County to operate its open admission shelter. The July 16 letter placed an "immediate moratorium" on the transfer of all pit bulls from the county's open admission shelter to an adoption agency. The letter also requested detailed documentation about the temperament testing procedure conducted by AHS and the animal "transfer" process, including the specific individuals who perform and approve both.

Since the July 16 letter, mainly a wall of silence has fallen over Joshua's mauling death and the actions of Asheville Humane. Though an outstanding Letter to the Editor by Julie Wall was published in her own community on July 22, "Difficulty in assessing level of aggression in pit bulls can lead to tragedy." Wall states the obvious conclusion: Either AHS failed in their assessment of this pit bull, or they have to admit there currently is no accurate way to assess pit bull-type dogs.

Either the Asheville Humane Society absolutely failed at assessing the dogs in their shelter, or it has to admit there is currently no accurate way to assess pit-bull-type dogs. At any rate, shelters and rescues need to stop pushing pit bulls onto the naive public.

For those who say not all pit bulls will attack or kill, it's true. Not all will. But predicting which ones will is impossible. They pass shelter behavior tests, then go on to kill or maim people. They "never show any sign of aggression" then one day kill their owner, out of the blue. This is why they are so dangerous. - Julie Wall

The editor of Animals24-7.org, Merritt Clifton, has been tracking serious and fatal attacks by shelter dogs for several decades. Joshua was the 38th fatality involving U.S. shelter dogs from 2010 to present -- a 5-year period. 30 of these deadly attacks involved rehomed pit bulls. Also, the Safety Before Pit Bulldogs blog is tracking extreme and fatal attacks by pit bulls that were either up for adoption or recently adopted out by a shelter. The 2015 severe attacks cited are numerous.

The following list shows the results of these misguided priorities and lack of mandated responsibility or accountability by these animal care "experts." Most of these articles are about recently adopted pit bulls that launched a serious attack, sometimes killing a person. Many of these pit bulls came with assurances that the pit bull was non-aggressive and/or had been temperament tested ... The list is not complete or comprehensive, but merely highlights the growing and seriously dangerous problem. - Safety Before Pit Bulldogs

Notably, while reading Facebook comments on news articles after the county's July 16 letter, one local mother, who bears no ill will toward pit bulls, had a similar experience with Asheville Humane. Less than 24 hours after adopting a pit bull from AHS, the dog savagely attacked her 5-year old son, latching onto his head. His injuries required staples. This attack occurred in March, 4-months before Joshua was killed. The mother comments at least twice on the WLOS Facebook thread.

They should have started all of this when a pit we adopted this March that had passed all of their test attacked my son resulting in a ems ride and staples in his head. The dog wanted my son dead. Pit bulls are my favorite breed. Yes different breeds kill/bite. Yes it depends on how they are raised. But this is TWICE a dog from AHS has attacked a child within months of each other that we know of. Such a sad situation. - Tera Brown, July 16, 2015

...Not even 24 hours after the adoption my son ask him to sit for a treat. The dog sit and my son handed out a treat and the dog snapped and turned vicious latching on to my sons head. The dog tried to drag my son back out of my arms without trying to bite me at all even with me kicking him in the face trying to get his focus on me instead of my son. He had locked in tunnel vision on my little boy. Thats all he wanted... - Tera Brown, July 16, 2015

After the attack she writes, "while I was in the ems with my son the police picked up the dog from outside of my house. The dog came wagging tail and jumped right in the cop car for a treat like nothing had ever happened." Performing the ever so frequent unpredictable explosive aggression by pit bulls, followed by the, "like nothing ever happened" or "wagging their tail" scenario. This too is often displayed by pit bulls after a violent attack. They often wag their tails while attacking too.

All eyes are on the county now as they examine the materials delivered by Asheville Humane.


07/16/15: County Stops Pit Bull Transfers
After a pit bull adopted out by the Asheville Humane Society (AHS) killed a 6-year old boy, Buncombe County officials are reviewing the organization's adoption process for pit bulls. Recall that AHS is under contract with the county to operate its open admission shelter, where the stray pit bull originally came in and where (we presume) it was temperament tested. Then the pit bull was "transferred" to the Asheville Humane Adoption Center, a separate, but adjacent building.

In a July 16 letter to Asheville Humane, Buncombe County officials ordered AHS to place an "immediate moratorium" on the transfer of all pit bulls from the county's open admission shelter to an adoption agency. The letter also asks for specific details about temperament test procedures followed by AHS, including the "credentials" of their testing individuals, as well as a "detailed process used in the specific pit bull transfer" that resulted in the mauling death of a young child.

The five items requested by Buncombe County | Read letter in full

  1. An immediate moratorium on the transfer of any pit bull or pit bull-mix from the Shelter to an Adoption Agency.
  2. A thorough documentation delivered to the County of the temperament testing procedures in place. This includes the specific steps involved, citation of the best-practice model used, the "individual(s)" employed by Asheville Humane conducting the testing, the credentials of the testing individual(s), and the individual(s) charged with approving the transfer of these specific animals.
  3. A detailed process used in the specific pit bull transfer that resulted in the death of a child in Henderson County.
  4. The definition that Asheville Humane uses for determining the health of an animal suitable for transfer to an adoption agency.
  5. A summary of any related internal reviews Asheville Humane has conducted and the resulting process changes/system improvement.

It is noteworthy that county officials also requested the specific names of the individuals employed by Asheville Humane who perform these procedures along with their "credentials." Buncombe County officials requested that AHS provide the information to them no later than two weeks from the date of this letter, which is July 30. After examining these materials, the county then "will decide next steps as to the moratorium on transfer of pit bulls and pit bull-mixes," states the letter.


Humane Group Republishes Web Page

UPDATE 07/11/14: In the aftermath of the sheriff's office naming the Asheville Humane Society (AHS) as the entity that adopted out a pit bull that attacked and killed a 6-year old boy, several developments have occurred. AHS released a "prepared" statement to the media, but still refuses to answer "repeated calls" from reporters and refuses any type of TV interview, according to WLOS. Also, at some point late Friday, AHS restored their Project Pit Bull page with revisions.

Part of the prepared statement by AHS includes a telling admission. The statement reads in part: "The dog involved was adopted out from Asheville Humane Society last month and did not exhibit any aggressive behavior while in our care. This dog came in as a stray so we did not know his history, only his behavior while he was with us, which gave no indication that he would have any issue of this type." AHS had the pit bull for 30-days before adopting it out to Joshua's neighbor.

The Asheville Humane Society, by their own admission, had no way of knowing they were sending someone home with a killer.

A person takes an extreme risk when adopting a pit bull with a known history, much less an unknown one, as was the case in Joshua's death. A powerful comment left by Jeff Borchardt just after we published our last update sums up the issue even more clearly. In March 2013, Jeff's 14-month old son was brutally killed by his babysitter's two pit bulls. Her pit bulls were 3-years old, well trained, sterilized, brought up in a loving home and had never shown aggression before.

“1-year-old pit bull had never shown signs of aggression. Up to date on all shots, neutered, had played with the dog before. No indication that anything was wrong.”.....And THAT my friends is the problem with pit bulls. - Jeff Borchardt, father of Daxton Borchardt

In a recent article by Merritt Clifton, editor of Animals24-7.org, Clifton states that Joshua Strother marks the 38th fatality involving U.S. shelter dogs from 2010 to present -- a 5-year period. Dog breeds involved in these 38 deaths include 30 pit bulls, seven bullmastiffs, two rottweilers, a lab that may have been part pit bull and a husky, according to his data. Clifton's article also dives into the history of AHS, an agency that has seen four executive directors in the last three years.

Lies, Lies and More Lies

At some point late July 10 or in the early hours of July 11, AHS republished their Project Pit Bull page with revisions, apparently to cover their tracks. The new page has a reworded title, a new pit bull initiative ("while supplies last" type bargain), and they renamed Pit Crew, their breed-specific volunteer program for pit bulls, to "Pup Crew." The public should in no way think that "Pup" implies puppies or unspecified dog breeds. Pup Crew only involves breed-specific pit bull advocacy.1

Also notably, Pup Crew is a trademarked clothing brand, apparently, mainly for smaller cute dogs, like the ones pit bulls frequently eviscerate. Why do we think the makers of Pup Crew do not want any association to a humane society that just adopted out a pit bull that fatally attacked a 6-year old boy? Moreover, why would Pup Crew want their clothing brand associated to breed-specific pit bull advocacy whose primary function is carrying out aggressive pit bull adoption campaigns?

New Pit Bull Initiative

In AHS's new breed-specific pit bull program, they offer to pay pit bull owners $20 dollars cash, if only they would bring their pit bull in for FREE spay or neuter services. It is not enough that the surgical procedure is FREE, a charity only for pit bulls, they have to add $20 cash on top of it and a "free collar, ID tag and microchip." Other changes on the web page include eliminating the first sentence of the main description: "Pit bulls are often misunderstood and discriminated against."

The revised Project Pit Bull page does keep, "These dogs are grossly misunderstood." Like the pit bull handed out to Joshua's neighbor.

Lastly, the WLOS video makes it clear that the Asheville Humane Society would not agree to an interview. "Today the humane society declined a request for an interview." And added, "This week, the organization removed a web page linking you to their pit bull campaign, which is meant to raise awareness about the breed. Staff say it is a temporary move out of respect for the family." "Staff" is a non-specific sell out and AHS's alleged "respect" for the family vanished when they republished.

The only other message we have for readers is a reply to a Tweet we sent out earlier regarding the aggressive and misleading 4th of July pit bull adoption promotion by AHS. HomeLifeSanctuary responded: "@dogsbite I just can't believe this. I can't bear to look at the face of that poor little boy. Animal rescue has lost its soul." In the case of the AHS, we do not believe they had one to begin with. After adopting out a killer, they bounced right back with a cheery message about pit bulls.

response to asheville humane society


07/09/15: Humane Society Named
Just after posting the below update, we received word that the Henderson County Sheriff's Office issued an update to their Facebook page naming the Asheville Humane Society as the entity who adopted out the killer pit bull. Now that readers know this, please see our whole July 9 update through these eyes. AHS adopted out the killer pit bull AND before being publicly named by the sheriff's office, they scrubbed their pit bull promotion programs from their corporate website!

Humane Society Removes Parts of Website

UPDATE 07/09/15: After a little boy was brutally killed by a recently adopted pit bull, a nearby humane society removed portions of its website dedicated to promoting pit bulls. The Asheville Humane Society, which is located about 30 miles north of Hendersonville in Buncombe County, apparently removed two portions from their corporate website after the boy's mauling death: Project Pit Bull, an awareness campaign, and Want to Join Our Pit Crew?, a volunteer program.

Joshua Strother, 6-years old, was fatally attacked by his neighbor's pit bull on July 7 after he climbed over a fence into his neighbor's yard. The male, neutered pit bull was about 1-year old, according to police, and was adopted by Joshua's next door neighbor 3-weeks earlier. Joshua had played with the dog before, which had not shown any aggression since being adopted. Sheriff's officials still have not named the humane society that recently adopted out this child killing pit bull.

The Henderson County Sheriff's Office has only stated that the pit bull was adopted from a humane society in a nearby county 3-weeks ago.

The Asheville Humane Society (AHS) also operates the shelter for Buncombe County, though they are two separate facilities according to their website. "Since 1990 Asheville Humane Society animal care professionals have operated the Buncombe County Animal Shelter operations under contracts with Buncombe County and City of Asheville," states the website. AHS hopes to build a "no-kill community" in Asheville and has partnerships with Best Friends, the ASPCA and more.

Portions that Were Removed

The central question is: Why would AHS, located in an adjacent county to the fatal attack, remove parts of its website that promoted pit bulls just after this boy's mauling death? On June 19, AHS kicked off their Project Pit Bull, Awareness and Action Campaign with its first event, a community forum. The forum focused on ending "breed discrimination" and selling the public disinformation about pit bulls. The community forum was the first of the campaign's free services for pit bulls.

As pointed out by DogsBite commenter Littlebluetinkerbell last night, "awareness and action campaigns" usually last several months and possibly years. But the Asheville Humane Society pulled the entire Project Pit Bull awareness campaign from their corporate website less than one month into the campaign and, apparently, just after this boy's horrific mauling death. Again, authorities have not named the animal shelter that is responsible for adopting out this mauler.

The Asheville Humane Society's Project Pit Bull page is still in Google Cache (please view here).2 Google last captured it on July 5. The actual URL leads to a broken web page because AHS removed this web page (please view here). If one looks at their current website, you'll notice that the left column is now missing "Project Pit Bull" in the navigation sidebar for Events and News. It does not end there either. AHS also removed their Pit Crew program from their website.

The Asheville Humane Society's Volunteer page is still in Google Cache (please view here).3 Google last captured it on July 7, the day of the boy's death. If you scroll down about midway, you will see the, Want to Join Our Pit Crew? section. Between July 7 and July 8th, AHS removed this program from their corporate website. Go to their volunteer page and see for yourself. Now why would they do this? Because it's a bad time to be promoting pit bulls as "grossly misunderstood?"

This certainly could be the case. After their June 19 forum -- which tried to sell to Asheville homeowners, landlords, neighbors and "even the pit bull wary" that BSL does not keep people safe and that pit bulls are wonderful pets -- a little boy died in the jaws of a male, neutered recently adopted out pit bull. Henderson County Sheriff's Office Maj. Frank Stout said the boy "died a very violent and quick death." The pit bull attacked the boy's face and neck killing him, Stout said.

You be the judge of why AHS took down these parts of their website in the wake of a fatal pit bull attack. You be the judge of why a humane society, in this case partly supported by taxpayers in their role of operating the county's shelter, continues to delete posts from their Facebook page that mention this young boy. Commenter Wigan wrote on our Facebook post just a few hours ago: "Update: [Asheville Humane Society] is deleting posts that mention the boy..." You be the judge.

humane society removes pages after fatal pit bull attack

07/08/15: Adopted in a Nearby County
New information is being learned about the pit bull that killed a child. The Citizen-Times reports that Henderson County Sheriff's Office Maj. Frank Stout said the pit bull was a male and a little over a year old. Stout said the owners adopted the dog 3-weeks earlier in a nearby county, with all of the shots and paperwork. Stout declined to name the shelter. Because certainly the public should not be made aware of which agency adopted out a pit bull that in short order killed a child.

Stout did say that part of the investigation will focus on the dog's history. "We're trying to get as much history on this dog as possible," Stout said. "We're just trying to find out the entire chain of events even before the adoption of the dog." Stout also said that Joshua often played with the dog owner's 6-year old daughter, and that both had played with the dog since its arrival without any issues. "There had been nothing to indicate that this dog was aggressive in nature," Stout said.

Jerry Hayes, Josh's great-grandfather who lives at 163 Piney Ridge Drive, said that Joshua would have entered into the first grade at Mills River Elementary School in August. He said that his great-grandson was "smart as a whip" and could count up to 100 forward and backward. Regarding the pit bull, Hayes said, "You just can't trust a pit bull. But that one seemed tame. I petted it through the fence. I thought they had gotten a nice dog. But that one won't bother anyone else," he said.

The family is collecting donations on GoFundMe.com to help pay for the boy's funeral costs.

07/07/15: Pit Bull Mauling Victim Identified
The young boy mauled to death by a recently adopted pit bull in Henderson County has been identified as Joshua Phillip Strother. The late night update from Blue Ridge Now communicates portions of the painful 911 call made by the little boy's mother who is 8-months pregnant, according to a neighbor. The news report also indicates the pit bull had only been with the unnamed dog's owner and next door neighbor for two weeks before fatally attacking a child.4

"I went to the bathroom and my boy is dead," the 911 caller says, weeping. "There's blood all over his face." The mother of Joshua Strother

In the frantic call, the mother tells the dispatcher that her 6-year old son is in the neighbor's fenced backyard at 183 Piney Ridge Drive and that she cannot get inside the fence. The neighbors are not home, she said. The mother tells the dispatcher, "I was in the house. I heard the back door shut, and I come running and I seen him laying in the neighbor's yard." The 911 dispatcher asks her to check whether the child is moving or breathing. "He's not breathing," the mother says.

Investigators suspect the boy climbed the nearly 5-foot tall chain-link fence to play with the pit bull. According to Joseph Strother, the victim's stepbrother, the neighbors got the dog two weeks ago and the dog was familiar with his little brother. "They said the dog's been here two weeks and he's been playing with the dog,” Joseph said. The property owners of 183 Piney Ridge Drive were not home when Joshua climbed the fence and was fatally attacked by their recently adopted pit bull.

07/07/15: Adopted Pit Bull Kills Child
Hendersonville, NC - In developing story, a pit bull terrier attacked and killed a 6-year old boy Tuesday afternoon, according to the Henderson County Sheriff's Office. Arriving deputies shot and killed the dog to get to the child, but it was too late to save his life. The fatal attack happened on the pit bull owner's property on Piney Ridge Drive, according to deputies. At the time of the deadly attack, the boy was visiting his grandparent's home next door to the dog owner's property.

The 911 call was made by the boy's mother. She said she went inside to use the bathroom for a few minutes and returned to find her son lying in the neighbor's yard. She said her son played with the dog and the dog was familiar with him. She told dispatchers that she did not believe her son was breathing, and that the neighbor's gate was locked, so she could not get into their yard. She said her son and other children often climbed the fence and that the homeowners were not home.

Fox Carolina also reported that they would not air the mother's 911 call and were told by people at the scene that the mother is pregnant.5

The Citizen-Times reports that deputies responded to a call at 163 Piney Ridge Drive near Mountain Home, a news release from Maj. Frank Stout states. When deputies and emergency responders arrived on scene they were unable to reach the boy due to the pit bull's continued aggression. Deputies shot and killed the pit bull, then deputies and emergency responders pushed down a fence to gain access to the child, who did not respond to medical treatment, Stout said.

Recently Adopted Pit Bull

News 13 reports that Henderson County Sheriff Charles McDonald does not believe there is any evidence of criminal wrongdoing at this time. Sheriff McDonald said the recently adopted pit bull was next door in a fenced-in backyard. Deputies continue to investigate how the child got into the area. Roger Burns lives nearby. He said that his own son, who is 10-years old, had intended to go play with the boy. Then his son told him, "I can't play with him. He's in the yard dead, daddy."

map iconView the DogsBite.org Google Map: North Carolina Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

Editorial note added July 10: Despite this boy's horrific mauling death by a pit bull adopted out by the Asheville Humane Society, the AHS Facebook page still has this July 4th promotional pit bull campaign in their photo album. The Facebook post was published on June 25. The boy was killed on July 7. This "custom designed" image, bearing the AHS website address, is 1296 x 1296, indicating that it is print resolution. In all likelihood, it was printed as fliers or was a poster hanging in AHS greeting potential adopters!


pit bull adopted out by asheville humane society kills boy

1Pup Crew is completely disingenuous to what the program is. It's just another mask for breed-specific pit bull advocacy and a deliberate term designed to hoodwink the public. At least Pit Crew properly identified the program.
2, 3Replaced with a screenshot of Google Cache taken on July 9. Because Asheville Humane republished their pages after getting caught, as well as how Google Cache operates (web cache is only temporary and has now cached the republished pages), a screenshot was our only option. This replacement was made July 17, 2015.
4Some reports are saying three weeks. News 2 also states the dog came from a "North Carolina shelter."
5In a late evening update by WYFF, neighbor Diane Henault said the victim's mother is 8-months pregnant. "My heart just goes out to the family, [she] is like 8-months pregnant," Henault said. She referred to the boy as "Josh." No information has so far been released about the agency or rescue that adopted out the fatally attacking pit bull.

Related articles:
08/31/15: Who Can Identify a Pit Bull? A Dog Owner of 'Ordinary Intelligence'...
08/06/15: Buncombe County - Animal Shelter Review Complete (News Release)
07/11/15: Boyle Column: Stats Don't Lie About Dangers Of Pit Bulls - Citizen Times
05/05/09: Alexandra Semyonova: Heritability of Behavior in the Abnormally Aggressive Dog

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Multiple Pit Bulls Kill Elderly Man in Pecos, Texas

pit bulls kill pecos man, texas
Fatal pit bull attack victim, Norberto Legarda of Pecos, Texas. Image via CBS7.com.

No Criminal Charges
UPDATE 08/19/15: There will be no criminal charges filed against the owner of three pit bulls that horrifically killed an elderly man in early July. Norberto Legarda, 83-years old, had been visiting his daughter's home, feeding her dog, when the neighbor's three pit bulls fatally attacked him. Medical examiners found multiple puncture injuries and soft tissue lacerations, according to the autopsy report. The cause of death was due to excessive loss of blood as a result of the dog mauling.

Pecos Police Chief Clay McKinney said the owner's pen was "very secure" and that it was a "very well built chain link fence" that the dogs escaped from. "It would be hard to prove criminal negligence" for these reasons, he explained. McKinney apparently has no idea what a "very secure" fence means in terms of a pit bull, easily able to scale 6-foot fences and beyond as noted previously in this post and documented in scores of YouTube videos and other online resources.

"Such a tragic event ... but it's just a bad deal." - Police Chief Clay McKinney

Back in July, while reviewing Oscar Rodriguez's Facebook page, the owner of the pit bulls, one of the videos he recently shared on his Timeline depicted a pit bull scaling a wall at least 14 feet high (one of many types of pit bull wall climbing competitions). On June 5, Rodriguez shared WorldStar Uncut's video, which at that time was trending on the Internet. This video post is no longer visible on his Timeline.1 But like good research soldiers, we took a screenshot back then just in case.

07/02/15: Owner of Pit Bulls Named
NewsWest 9 reported updates and clarifications just after 10:40 pm Thursday. At the time of the deadly attack, 83-year old Norberto Legarda had been looking after his daughter's Labrador while she was on vacation.2 According to investigators, he was feeding the dog at his daughter's home on South Eddy Street, when three pit bulls belonging to a next door neighbor approached them. Pecos Police Chief Clay McKinney believes evidence will show that a dog fight then ensued.

"Mr. Legarda probably tried to break up the fight and then the pit bulls turned on him" - Police Chief Clay McKinney

One witness told NewsWest 9 that all three dogs were involved in the attack. According to Chief McKinney, "at least two" attacked Legarda. Officials are still in the early stages of the investigation, gathering information, McKinney said. The attacked Labrador was located near the residence by animal control. The dog is expected to recover from the injuries inflicted by the pit bulls. The owner of the pit bulls, identified as Oscar Rodriguez, gave consent to have all three of his dogs put down.

Texas Felony Dog Attack Statute

Criminal charges under the Texas felony dog attack statute could be at play in this mauling death, depending upon what the police investigation shows. The main dependencies include if the dogs' owner had knowledge of the dogs' vicious propensities (a previous bite) and/or if the pit bulls had escaped the owner's property before and threatened people. The growing body of case law of the 2007 felony statute, known as Lillian's Law, should provide prosecutors with sufficient answers.

Notably, not only did NewsWest 9 investigate the felony dog attack statute, they actually stated how many Texans have been killed by dogs in 2015, as well how many fatal dog attacks have occurred nationally. So far in 2015, four Texans have been killed by dogs in the following Texas counties: Hopkins, Dallas, Comal and Reeves. Nationally, dogs have struck down 16 Americans this year; 75% of all fatalities (12) involved pit bulls and 3 cases involved "unknown" breeds.

Additional Evening Updates

CBS 7 also updated their earlier report; it too provides new information and clarifications. The written article and video segment shows an interview with David Vajil, the man who discovered Legarda's body and called 911. He said it all began with a sound he will never forget, "I heard a real horrible noise. Real horrible," Vajil said. When he looked to see what it was, he saw three pit bulls in the backyard of his neighbor's home attacking their labrador. He tried to fight off the dogs.

"I looked around and got a stick, and boom, boom I hit them in the head and that didn’t do nothing, so I started to poke them..." - David Vajil

When he knew it was time to leave, he turned around and that is when he discovered the victim lying on the ground. "I looked back and saw the man lying face down and I said ‘Lord have mercy’, then I dialed 911," Vajil said. When police arrived, Legarda was already dead. Information about his injuries was not released. Police are still investigating how the three pit bulls got into the neighbor's backyard. The fence surrounding both homes appeared adequately maintained.

However, as commenter Christee Labarge on the CBS 7 Facebook thread notes, "I'm sorry this happened to this man so sad. But that fence is nothing for a pit to jump. My daughter has a pit. He can take that fence no problem. He's a year old, he pounces once and he's over the fence. And ours is wood and 7ft tall." There are piles of YouTube videos to back up this claim as well. Just type in pit bull jumps or pit bull scales fence or pit bull climbs or our favorite, pit bull climbs tree.

07/02/15: Pit Bulls Kill Elderly Man
Pecos, TX - An elderly man is dead after being attacked by multiple pit bulls. Pecos police responded to a home in the 1500 block of South Eddy Street at 9:45 am Thursday. Several pit bulls were attacking another dog at that location when officers arrived, and a man was lying on the ground in the backyard. Officers were forced to taser and pepper spay the dogs in order to enter the backyard, according to police. EMS arrived on scene and determined the man was dead.

The victim has been identified as 83-year old Norberto Legarda.

Pecos Police Chief Clay McKinney said at the time of the attack, Legarda was at a relative's home, feeding their dog while they were away on vacation. Chief McKinney believes that while he fed the dog, the three pit bulls entered the backyard and began fighting with the animal. When Legarda tried to break up the fight, the pit bulls attacked him. All three pit bulls were captured and euthanized. At this stage, police do not know who owns the pit bulls. The investigation is ongoing.

map iconView the DogsBite.org Google Map: Texas Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.
1It is hard to know if Rodriguez intentionally removed the video from his Timeline, or if the shared video post went "poof." We could not locate the actual shared video post on either of the "Worldstar Uncut" Facebook pages.
2The victim's name has been spelled multiple ways in media reports. "Norberto Ramerez Legarda" is being used by the Pecos Funeral Home.

Related articles:
08/31/15: Who Can Identify a Pit Bull? A Dog Owner of 'Ordinary Intelligence'...
12/12/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: San Antonio Woman, 83, Dies After Pit Bull Attack
07/01/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Dies After Pit Bull Attack in Southeast Houston
04/15/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Comal County Woman, 75, Dies After Pit Bull Attack 
09/02/13: 2013 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Suspected of Killing 96-Year Old Texas Man
03/12/13: Report: Texas Dog Bite Fatalities, January 1, 2005 to February 17, 2013
05/21/11: Texas Doctors Produce Study: Mortality, Mauling and Maiming by Vicious Dogs

2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull Kills Child Under Babysitter's Watch in Lawton, Oklahoma

killed by dog, lawton oklahoma
Dog Kills Young Boy
Lawton, OK - In a developing story, a 3-year old boy was mauled to death by a dog Sunday morning. Jordan Charles Collins-Tyson was killed while visiting his great-grandmother's home, according to Pam Ramirez, a family friend. The dog, initially reported as a pit bull by KSWO-TV, latched onto the boy's neck, killing him. The child's body was transported to the state Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy, Ramirez said. A family friend has started a GoFundMe page.

A later news report by The Lawton Constitution confirmed the attack was carried out by a pit bull. Lawton Police Captain Craig Akard said the attack happened at 9:00 am on the 500 block of Southwest 17th Street. A family friend was babysitting and watching Jordan "out the window" as he played in the backyard. When she looked again, it was too late. When emergency responders arrived at the scene, the pit bull was still being aggressive, Akard said. Police shot the dog.

Afternoon Update

There were two dogs in the backyard with the boy at the time of the fatal attack, according to the KSWO update. Jordan had been around the pit bull that attacked him Sunday -- executing the killing bite -- in the past without any problems. The news video sums up the reported scenario: KSWO was told by a person at the home, "the [pit bull] did not belong to anyone who actually lived at the house, but the child had been around the dog before without any other incidents."1, 2

map iconView the DogsBite.org Google Map: Oklahoma Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.
1This case is horrific. It appears, at this stage, the child was "visiting" the great-grandmother's home and "under the care" of a babysitter at the time of the fatal mauling, and the pit bull was "being watched' by someone at the home who was not present when the boy was attacked -- three extremely high risk scenarios. Said another way, a family member dumped one or both dogs on the great-grandmother at some point and she took them in unable to say no. Add the babysitter on top of that, who was "looking out a window" and watching the boy as he played with one or more pit bulls, and the result is a predictable fatal pit bull mauling. Jordan Collins-Tyson, U.S. pit bull fatality #461.
2In October 2012, just 8-months after little Jordan was born, his father Charles Anthony Tyson was the victim of a brutal homicide. Tyson was beaten and shot to death with a shotgun on the front porch of his Lawton home. Jose Villanueva was later convicted of first-degree murder in connection to his death and sentenced to life in prison.

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02/23/15: 2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Visiting Child Killed by Family Pit Bull in Pittsburgh Suburb
09/11/14: 2014 Dog Bite Fatality: Visiting Child Killed by Family Pit Bulls in Miami-Dade County
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